H Street NE next step for Ben’s Chili Bowl

The long wait for half smokes on H Street is coming to an end. A couple of years after the proprietors of Ben’s Chili Bowl purchased the 105-year-old building at 1001 H St. NE, finally, we have progress.

Ali Boyz LLC, that is, Ben’s owners Nizam and Kamal Ali, were issued permits Friday to renovate the existing two-story building, work that includes the addition of a full cellar and roof terrace. The project will add about 800 square feet to the 4,200-square-foot building.

The proposed use is a full-service restaurant, an H Street Ben’s Chili Bowl outpost, from the first floor to the roof, with 191 seats and total occupancy of 272. Might we see a Ben’s on H by the end of the year? The Ali brothers could not be reached for comment.

1750 Pennsylvania Ave. NW: This permit is for interior alterations to 12,375 square feet on the sixth floor for AOL and The Huffington Post, which will consolidate their operations in the building, owned by Vornado Realty Trust.

1211 Connecticut Ave. NW: A permit was issued for renovations to an eight-story office building, including its entrance lobby, core elevator lobbies, corridors and restrooms. The building is owned by First Potomac Realty Trust.

2008 Eighth St. NW: Owner “It’s My Real Estate LLC” and applicant Tempest LLC will convert this single-family home into an “artist studio for the composition of music.”

6001-6007 McLean Place NE: Permits were issued for construction of four single-family residences, part of The Hampshires project of Comstock Homes.

2158 Dunmore Lane NW: A three-floor, single-family detached home with a cellar and an elevator are being built on a vacant lot that sold last December for $1.35 million. The home will likely sell for upward of $3 million.

1100 Alabama Ave. SE: The permit covers steelwork for the St. Elizabeths East Gateway Pavilion, scheduled to open by the end of August. The District has issued a request for proposals for a pavilion operator.

2601 30th St. NW: A raze permit was issued for a brick single-family home.